Right now, right this second, do you know what I wish? I wish I was traveling. This time of year, I am on my way to a vacation destination. Once I arrive, the sun greets me along with mists of salty briny sea floating across my face. My feet sink into bright soft sand and are lapped by the ocean waves curling and foaming in cooling ribbons along the beach. Ah....dreams! It's nice to dream, and I know that one day (hopefully very soon!) we will be able to travel freely and I'll be living the dreams instead of pining away for them. In the meantime, I'm going to try everything I can to capture the essence of those dreams in my kitchen. How will I do that? Tropical flavors baby - close my eyes, put on ocean wave music and (taste buds!) take me to the tropics!
Sustainability Spotlight: Alright so, elephant in the room; why can't I travel? COVID impacted the world so materially (and in some ways very negatively) through 2020 and we are still trying to emerge from the global disruption halfway through 2021. The news has been bleak for quite some time, so how about I sprinkle some positive / silver lining news to the pandemic? Many studies from all over the world have reported that the pandemic has brought about significant reductions in climate and water pollution. It's fairly obvious that our reduction in travel reduced the amount of cars, planes, trains, and boats that were orbiting the planet carrying us place to place locally and abroad. That, in turn, curbed our production and need for energy dedicated to moving us (people) from here to there and from there to here. The shocking (and impactful!) statistics are still being tabulated but it is estimated that European emissions alone may have fallen 30-50% for the industry, energy and international shipping, and road transport sectors. Ready for the BIG one? Emissions are estimated to have fallen 80% for the aviation sector (planes). Wow. While I want to be an individual in a global world and have the opportunities to travel and enjoy our planet, I'm realistic and know that the travel I envision does impact the planet in many ways negatively. So, for now, I'll enjoy my "at home" efforts and plan for a "future me" ready to explore the tropics and continue my research into how best to do so, sustainably.
Ingredients:
1 cup frozen peach slices
1 cup frozen mango
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (Garden of Life - Plant-based Sport)
1 cup coconut water
2 cup fresh orange juice
1 ripe banana
1.5 cup fresh (chilled) pineapple chunks
Optional Garnish: unsweetened coconut shreds
Directions:
Place all ingredients (peaches through pineapple) in the order shown above in a high-powered blender.
If you have a Vitamix with smoothie button, turn on and wait for the blender to automatically stop. Proceed to Step #4.
If you do not have a Vitamix with a smoothie button, turn on blender on low and gradually increase in increments of 20 seconds each all the way up to the highest setting. Use a tamper or scrape down sides as needed and blend until smooth (~4 minutes).
Pour into glasses and top with the optional garnish(es) noted above. Serve & enjoy!
With love & hope for a better future for all of us - Jamie